Method of recovering hydrogen fluoride in an alkylation process



J. G. ALLEN Nov. 6, 1951 METHOD OF' RECOVERING HYDROGEN FLUORIDES IN AN ALKYLATION PROCESS Filed Oct. 17. 1947 INVENTOR.

J. G. ALLEN ZEmJO ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 6, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF RECOVERING HYDROGEN FLUORIDE IN AN ALKYLATION PROCESS John Gordon Allen, Bartlesville, Okla., assigner to Phillips Petroleum Company, a corporation of Delaware Application October 17, 1947, Serial No. 780,312

high anti-knock motor fuels. Also, the alkylation' of aromatic hydrocarbons with olefins is well known. Various catalysts, such as a metal halide with a hydrogen halide promoter, phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid and hydrofluoric acid, have been proposed for these reactions'. However, catalysts which contain hydrogen fluoride as their essential ingredient offer certain advantages in the alkylation reactions over other catalysts. For example, when using a hydrogen fluoride catalyst the alkylation reaction may be conducted at a substantially higher temperature than isl feasible when using sulfuric acidwhich tends to induce undesirable side'reactions at higher temperatures. Moreover, hydrogen fluoride which dissolves in the hydrocarbon reaction' products may be recovered readily and returned to the process for re-use. y

In hydrogen fluoride alkylation processes, substantially anhydrous fluoride is ordinarily charged to the process but after a period of use the catalyst becomes contaminated with water and organic material which decreases the effective hydrogen fluoride concentration to such an extent that the alkylating activity of Athe catalyst be# gins to decline. 'Bywithdrawing a portion 'of the contaminated catalyst from the system, either intermittently or continuously, and replacing the withdrawn catalyst with fresh or regenerated catalyst of higher hydrogen fluoride concentra-V stream comprising" substantially anhydrous hydrogen fluoride andV light vhydrocarbons are sep-y arated froma bottoms product comprising largely higher boilingforganic materials hydrogen fluoride mixture. v

In the regeneration of used hydrogen fluoride and` a 'wateras mentioned above, difficulty is experienced in 6 Claims. (Cl. 260683.4)

oride. If the regeneration unit is operated' so as to obtain substantially pure hydrogen fluoride and at the same time rejecting all acid soluble organic material and acid-water mixture, an ap` preciable quantity of recoverable hydrogen fluoride is lost as it is dissolved in the rejected organic material and the acid-water mixture. In turn, if the temperature on the kettle of the fractionator is then raised vto insure the passing over-- head of all of the uncombined hydrogen fluoride, a substantial quantity of acid soluble organic ma# terial is also distilled overhead resulting in undesirable contamination of the regenerated hydrogen fluoride and thereby lowering the acidity of the regenerated acid.

The present invention comprises an improved' process for the regeneration of a used hydrogen fluoride catalyst. In one embodiment my invenf tion comprises an improved process for the rei generation of a used hydrogen fluoride catalyst which includes the following steps: subjecting the used' hydrogen fluoride catalyst to a fractionation zone wherein substantially anhydrous hydrogen fluoride and light hydrocarbons are "i removed overhead, withdrawing a bottom prodi" uct comprising heavy viscous acid-soluble organic materials together with a water-'hydrogen fluoride mixture, withdrawing an intermediate side stream from said fractionation zone comprising light acid-soluble organic material together with some hydrogen fluoride and light hydrocarbons, passing the intermediate stream to a settler for removal of entrained heavymaterials, passing the light acid-soluble organic material from thersettler to a stripping column where light hydrocarbons and hydrogen fluoride are removed overhead and returned to the fractionation zone, while stripped light acid-soluble org.,y

ess for alkylation of parallinic hydrocarbons andolenic hydrocarbons in the presence of hydrogen fluoride as catalyst.

Still another object is to provide a'method for the regeneration of used hydrogen fluoride.

' Still another object is to provide an improved method for the recovery of hydrogen fluoride contaminated with organic material. l

A further object is to provide a method *for purifying hydrogen fluoride contaminated with organic t material and hydrouoric acid-water azeotrope. Y f' Y 'f sun another' object of uns invention is to?trait'l used hydrogen nuoride from a hydrogen fluoride alkylation unit, thereby recovering high purity hydrogen uoride in high yield.

Other objects and advantages of this invention Will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the accompanying disclosure and: description.

I have found-inthe all'ylation of hydrocarbons using hydrogen fluoride as catalyst that both light and heavy acid-soluble organic materials are; formed in the reactors with resultant contamination of the acid catalyst.'- The lightoilsf so produced constitute about 55-75` percentsby weight of the total oils depending Vupon the; end point*- of the light oil. Usually I.; consider 14000-- E'.- as.v

the maximum end point for the light oils. Also, it has been found that mostiof .the sulfur come pounds present in the feed stock` to the alkylation reactor concentrate in the light oil fraction-aa dialkyl suldes. In fact the light oil seems to be composed chiefly'of thesedialkyl sulndes. The heavy acid-soluble oil fraction contains much less sulfur than the light oil fraction. As thesulfur content of ,the hydrocarbon feed to the `alkylation zone is increasedthe quantity of the,lightsulfur-- containing acid-soluble Voils Yis` z increased; and if Table A.. .Total acidesoluble.organiomaterialL `Gravity: A.,P..I 37.0 Sulfur: Wt. percent 17.7 Fluorine: Wt. percent 0.216 Iodine :No 200 Color, (N. P, A.) 4

B2i Lightfacid-soluble organic material;r

Total oils: Wt.'percent 72, Sulfur: Wt. percent;. 23.7 ASTM distillationF..`I. B. EL 117.

5.percent 206.. 212

C5' Heavy acidesoluble organic material:

Total oils: Wt; percent 28v Sulfur: Wt. percent 2.1

lhavediscoveredfa method for regenerating spent hydrogen fluoride lcatalyst by which a -loWer sulfurfcontent heavy highboilingacid-soluble oil is.-.obtained.- Thisflow: sulfur. heavy Y oil 'may'. beY used as a desulfurizing agent as ldescribedfin my Patent-U. Ss 2,414,626 Ywhichissuecl January 2l, 1947. Also; by` my acidregeneraticn process ai light oil-fraction'isiobtained-with a minimum loss ofefcatalyst.A and at the-sametimemaintaininga higher purity and-yield of regenerated acid. This :method ,willprovidethe `additional benefit of .1. reducing :thee quantity of Y used `hydrogen nuorideffcharged, to the v`rerun unit to maintain ,the desired acidity in the process. Also, thebuild-up oti'sulfuriin the alkylation and; regeneration sysfia.

,4 tems will be prevented or at least substantially reduced.

The accompanying drawing is a diagrammatic illustration of an arrangement of apparatus suitable for conducting the process of the present invention. I 'n Isobutane. feed'.is introduced through line i3 to reaction zone i2 where it is contacted with an olen feed and hydrogen fluoride catalyst Which are introduced into reaction zone I2 by 'bont phase v.passes through line 20, feed tank 22 and line 24 to acid stripping zone 26 Where entrained hydrogen uoride and some ylight hydrocarbon. material are yremoved and: recycied through line Zto reaction zone l2 or a portion of the hydrogen fluoride-hydrocarbon mixture may be returned to settling means ltlbylway ci line 38, if desired. The remaining hydrocare bon material passes through line 32 to fractiona.` tion zone 34 where it isfractionated into various fractions as desired. Propane and lighter are removed through line 36;' isobutane -is removed through line 38 and recycled to reaction zone l2, normal butane is removed through line 4D and the total alkylate is removed from fractionation zone Slithrough line 42.for further treating and vfractionation as desired... n

The catalyst phase fromfsettlingV means iS is removedv through line`44 and a portion thereof is recycled through line l5 to reaction zone l2. A portion of the catalyst phase is removed from line` 44 and passes through line 46 containing heater 48 to fractionator 5B. The contents of fractionator 50 are heated by means of steam circulated through coil 54 located near the bottom of fractionator 50 whereby at least a portion of hydrogen fluoride contained. in the. catalyst phase is released therefrom and removed through line 56.y Also, if desired, a stripping medium, such as isobutane, maybe introduced through line 52 containing heater 53 into the lower portion of fractionator t@ for the purpose of augmenting the removal of the hydrogenfluoride from the catalyst phase. The catalyst phase comprises amixture-of light and heavy organic material as well as hydrogen fiuoride. Recovered hydrogen fluoride vis removed through line 56 containing cooler 58 and is introduced as a liquidinto receiver B. From receiver 60 a portion of the recovered hydrogen fluoride is returned to fractionator 5B through line 62 as areflux forfractionator 5D, and a portionof itis returned to reaction zone l2 by way of lines 66 and I5. If desirable, a portion of the purified hydrogen Vfluoride may be removed from the .system through line $4.- An inf termediate fraction, comprising light acidsoluble material is removed,fromfractionator 5i! through line and is introducedrinto settler'i! Where any heavy material, such as entrained hydroiiuoric acid-Water mixture, settles'out of the acid soluble material and is returned to fractionator 5U by Wayofrline 113.y Thelig-ht organic material, which contains some entrained hydrogen fluoride and light hydrocarbon material',A passes through line 'I2 to light oil stripper '18. If desirable, the light rsxis'rspoc per 18 through lines 16 and 12. The entrained hydrogen fluoride and light hydrocarbons are removed frorn light oil stripper 18 by means of a suitable stripping medium, such as isobutane or v isopentane, or the like which is introduced into 2 .through line 83 for further handling as desired.

The heavy oil and hydrogen fluoride-water azeovtrope are removed from fractionator 58 through line 84 to separator 86. The heavy oil and hydrogen fluoride-water azeotrope are separated in separator 86 into an oil phase and hydrofluoric acid-water phase. A portion of the heavy oil may be returned through line 88 to reaction zone I2 .for use as a desulfurizing agent, or all of it may be removed from the system through line 89, if desired. The hydrogen fluoride-water azeotrope vmay be removed through line 90 for further treatvment, as desired, to recover the hydrogen fluoride.

Also, if desired, all or a portion of the mixture of heavy oil and hydrogen fluoride-water azeotrope hfrom the vbottom of the fractionator 58 may be removed from the system through line 92.

It is preferable that the location of line 68 be so located in the fractionator 50 so that little or no hydrogen fluoride-Water azeotrope is present Lin the stripper feed since any of the hydrogen iluoride-water mixture carried over to the stripfper would be removed and returned to the fractionator where it may be carried overhead there- "bycontaminating the puried acid. Settler is added' between fractionator 58 and stripper 18 to materially eliminate such a possibility. It is defsirable therefore that substantially all of the Wa- 'ter entering fractionator 50 be removed as hy- 'drogen fluoride-water azeotrope in the kettle product from the fractionator 50.

In the accompanying diagrammatic drawing 'ureference to some of the equipment such as pumps, gages and the like which obviously would belnecessary to actually operate the process of my invention have been intentionally omitted.

" lBythe term hydrogen fluoride catalyst, which is used throughout this specification and appended claims it is intended to include catalysts v'whose essential active ingredient is hydrogen fluoride. It is within the scope of my invention,

therefore, to employ hydrogen'fluoride which contains minor amounts of other substances, for example, water or promoters such as boron tri- 'fluoride Although usually commercial anhydrous hydrogen `fluoride will be utilized in the alkylation process, itis permissible to have as high as about 10% water present in the catalyst. Execessive dilution with water must be avoided, howeveIg-since it will result in a decline in the alkylating activity of the catalyst.

The alkylation of isoparafns with olefins in the vpresence of a hydrogen fluoride catalyst is leffected at temperatures of the order of from about 0 F. to` about 200 F. although a more 4preferable range is from about 50 F. to about 150 F.V Under certain, circumstances even lower temperatures may be employed.The pressure .in .the alkylation zone is ordinarily maintained suiciently high to insure-,substantially liquid :phase operation. The time relationship maybe lexpressed by means of the so-called space time which is defined as the volume of catalyst within the reaction zone divided by the volume rate vper minute of hydrocarbon reactants charged to the zone. Usually the space time will fall within the range of from about 5 to about 80 minutes `although in certain cases it may be desirable to -extend this range in either direction. As is Wellknown in the alkylation art an excess of alkylatable parans over olens should be maintained lin the alkylation zone at all times, e. g., a mol I'ratio of 'alkylatable parains to olens from `about 3:1 or 4:1 to about 10:1 or even higher.

In operating the hydrogen fluoride regeneration unit in accordance with my invention, contami- 'nated hydrogen fluoride catalyst from an alkyla- "This heated material is then introduced into a suitable fractionating column maintained under suitable operating conditions, such as temperature and pressure, to remove hydrogen fluoride from the used catalyst material. The temperature at the bottom of the fractionating zone is usually maintained at between about 260 and about 300 F., depending again upon the particular material being treated. But usually it is preferable to use a temperature in the range of about 270 to 280 F. at the bottom of the fractionator. A preferred pressure of about 25 to 50 pounds per square inch absolute is maintained on the bottom of the fractionator; however, if a higher temperature is used than that indicated a correspondingly higher pressure may be employed. The temperature at the top of the fractionating 'column may be in the range of about 85 to 115,

but usually about to 110 is preferable. A pressure in the range of about 20 to 40 pounds per square inch absolute in the top of the column is usually suicient for the temperature. A stripstripper where it is stripped of hydrogen fluoride by means of a stripping medium such as isobutane. The particular amount of isobutane used, and the exact temperature and pressure maintained in the stripper is not critical. However the stripping medium and the stripper contents are maintained at a temperature sufficient .to strip the hydrogen fluoride from the organic material in said stripper without carrying overhead any substantial amounts of the light acidsoluble organic material.

In operating my improved hydrogen uoride regenerating system it is preferable to keep the Water in the alkylation system to a minimum by very efficient drying of all hydrocarbon feed streamsfbefore they enter the reaction zone.

This invention is not to be limited by any theories as to nature and method of formation of the light and heavy acid-soluble organic materials. Inspection of the light oils indicate they probably are comprised of dialkyl sulfides, having alkyl groups such as methyl, ethyl, isopropyl,

It is theorized that the suldes Vare formedby alkylation of the mercaptans, suchA as methyl mercaptan and ethyl mercaptan, normally present in the olefin feed which usually comprises with propylene, butylenes or amylenes. At any rate, the use of a regeneration unit ofV the character described would offer an additional advantage of providing a processV wherethe olefin feed need not necessarily be caustic washed to remove mercaptans since said mercaptans are rejected from the acid regeneration unit rather than building up to a deleterious quantity in the alkylate products. My invention is not limited to regeneration of used hydrogen fluoride from parafn and aromaticalkylation processes, but is intended to cover'regeneration of hydrogen fluoride from other conversion processes employing hydrogen fluoride as catalyst, such as isomerization, disproportionation or'the like.

` Used hydrofluoric acid catalyst from an isobutane butylene hydrouoric acid alkylation process having the following percentageby weight composition; hydrogen fluoride 86L0, acid-soluble oils 5.0, light hydrocarbon 7.2, and water 1.2, is passed through a heating unit where it is heated to about 256 and introduced into a fractionating column containing about twenty trays. The bottom of the fractionatingV column is heated by means of steam coils, in the conventional'Y manner, and the kettle product is maintained at a temperature of about 275 F., and at a pressure of about thirty pounds per square inch absolute. A strip-ping medium, namely isobutane, is introduced into the fractionating column near the bottom to aid in stripping hydrogen fluoride from the kettle product. The hydrogen fluoride and light hydrocarbons are removed from the top of the fractionating column which is maintained at a temperature of about 100 F., and at a pressure of about twentyseven pounds per square inch absolute. The hydrocarbon uoride-hydrocarbon mixture is condensed and introduced into a receiver where it separates into an acid phase and a hydrocarbon phase. A portion of the liqueed hydrogen iluoride is returned to the fractionator as a reflux. rIhe hydrocarbon phase (chiefly isobutane) is removed for further use as desired. The isobutane may be used in the alkylation system or for further stripping purposes. The hydrogen uoride which is not recycled to the fractionator as reiiux is removed from the regeneration system for further use as desired and represents about 94e percent of the original charge and has a purity of about 97.6.

The kettle product which comprises heavy oil and acid-water azeotrope is removed from the bottom of the fractionator and amounts to about 4. percent by Weight of the original charge.

An intermediate side stream is withdrawn from the fractionator at a point at about the eleventh tray from the bottom. The temperature atV this point it about 245 F. The material so removed is passed to a stripper where absorbed hydrogen fluoride is removed by stripping with isobutane and the isobutane-hydrogen fluoride mixture is returned to the fractionator. The resultant light oil which amounts to about 2 percent by weight of the original charge is removed from the bottom of the fractionator.'

It is to be understood that this invention -should not be necessarily limited to the above discussion and description and that modifications` and variations may be made without departing'substantially from the invention or from the scopeof thel claims. l.

'I claim:

1. Ina process for the alkylation of alkylatabl parains with olens which comprises subjecting alkylatable paralns and olens to contact under alkylation conditions in an alkylation zone with hydrogen uoride catalyst; separating a reaction mixture eluent from said alkylation Zone into a hydrocarbon phase and a catalyst phase; passing at least a portion of said catalyst phase to a fractionation zone; removing a mixture of hydrogen iluoride and low boiling hydrocarbons from an upper portion of said fractionation zone; returning at least a portion of said mixture to said alkylation zone; withdrawing a stream comprising light acid-soluble organic material and hydrogen iiuoride intermediate an upper portion and alower portion of said fractionation zone; passing said stream to a settling zone where a hydrocarbon phaseis separated therefrom; passing said resulting hydrocarbon phase to a stripping zone and removing therefrom absorbed hydrogen fluoride; and returning the resulting hydrogen fluoride to an upper portion of said fractionation zone.

2. In a process for the alkylation of alkylatable parans with olefins which comprises subjecting alkylatable parafns and olens to contact under alkylation conditions in an alkylation zone with hydrogen fluoride catalyst; separating a reaction mixture eiiiuent from said alkylation zone into a hydrocarbon phase and a catalyst phase; heating at least a portion of said catalyst phase to atemperature in the range between 235 and 260 F. and passing the resulting heated material to a fractionating column; maintaining the temperature at the bottom of said fractionating column in the range between 260 and 300 F. and a pressure in the range of between 25 and 50 pounds per square inch absolute, and maintaining the temperature at the top ofv said fractionating column in the range between and F. and a pressure in the range between 20 and 40 pounds per square inch absolute; introducing a hydrocarbon stream comprising paraflins to be alkylated in said alkylationzone into said fractionating column near the bottom thereof to aid in stripping the hydrogen fluoride from said catalyst phase; removing a mixture of hydrogen iiuoride and low boiling hydrocarbons from an upper portion of said fractionating co1- umn, returning at least a portion of said mixture to said alkylation zone; withdrawing a stream comprising a mixture of light acid-soluble organic material, hydrogen fluoride, and 10W boiling hydrocarbons intermediate to an upper portion and a lower portion of said fractionating co1- umn; passing said stream to a settlingV zone where a hydrocarbon phase is separated therefrom; passing said resulting hydrocarbon phase to a stripping zone and removing therefrom absorbed hydrogen fluoride by means of a stripping medium comprising parafns to be alkylated in said alkylation zone and Yreturning a resulting mixture of hydrogen fluoride and Valkylatable paralins to an upper portion of said fractionating column; withdrawing a resulting light acidsoluble organic material from a lower portion of said stripping zone; withdrawing a heavy acidsoluble organic material from a lower portion of said fractionating column; passing said heavy acid-soluble organic material to a separator wherein an organic phase is separated from an aqueous phase, and returning at least a portion of said organic phase to saidalkylation zone as a desulfurzin'gfagent.

3. A process for alkylating an alkylata-ble hydrocarbon with an olefin which comprises: alkylating said alkylatable hydrocarbon with said olen in the presence of hydrogen fluoride catalyst; separating a resulting reaction mixture effluent into a liquid hydrocarbon phase and a liquid hydrogen fluoride catalyst phase; passing a portion of said catalyst phase into a fractional distillation zone and therein fractionating same', removing hydrogen fluoride from an upper portion of said fractional distillation zone and returning a portion of same to said alkylating operation; withdrawing a mixture of light'acidsoluble organic material and hydrogen fluoride from said fractional distillation zone intermediate an upper portion and a lower portion of said fractional distillation zone, passing said mixture into a stripping zone, therein contacting said mixture with a hydrocarbon stream comprising hydrocarbons to be alkylated in said alkylation step passed into the lower portion of said stripping zone and stripping hydrogen iiuoride from said mixture; and withdrawing a resulting mixture of hydrogen uoride and alkylatable hydrocarbon from the upper portion of said stripping zone and passing same into the upper portion of said fractional distillation zone.

4. The process of claim 3 wherein said alkylatable hydrocarbon is an alkylatable isoparailin.

, l0 5. The process of claim 4 wherein said isoparaiin is isobutane and'said olen is a mixture oi' butenes.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein said catalyst phase passed into saidj fractional distillation zone is heated to a temperature of from 235 F. to 260 F. prior to its introduction into said fractional distillation zone, and said fractional distillation zone is operated withjqa bottom temperature of from 260 F. to 30054K, a, bottom pressure of from 25 to 50 poundsjper square inch absolute, a top temperature o1' from 85F. to 115 F. and a top pressure of from 20 to 40 pounds per square inch absolute.

JOHN GORDON ALLEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

- UNITED srA'rEs PATENTS Number 

1. IN A PROCESS FOR THE ALKYLATION OF ALKYLATABLE PARAFFINS WITH OLEFINS WHICH COMPRISES SUBJECTING ALKYLATABLE PARAFFINS AND OLEFINS TO CONTACT UNDER ALKYLATION CONDITIONS IN AN ALKYLATION ZONE WITH HYDROGEN FLUORIDE CATALYST; SEPARATING A REACTION MIXTURE EFFUENT FROM SAID ALKYLATION ZONE INTO A HYDROCARBON PHASE AND A CATALYST PHASE; PASSING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID CATALYST PHASE TO A FRACTIONATION ZONE; REMOVING A MIXTURE OF HYDROGEN FLUORIDE AND LOW BOILING HYDROCARBONS FROM AN UPPER PORTION OF SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE; RETURNING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID MIXTURE TO SAID ALKYLATION ZONE; WITHDRAWING A STREAM COMPRISING LIGHT ACID-SOLUBLE ORGANIC MATERIAL AND HYDROGEN FLUORIDE INTERMEDIATE AN UPPER PORTION AND A LOWER PORTION OF SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE; PASSING SAID STREAM TO A SETTLING ZONE WHERE A HYDROCARBON PHASE IS SEPARATED THEREFROM; PASSING SAID RESULTING HYDROCARBON PHASE TO A STRIPPING ZONE AND REMOVING THEREFROM ABSORBED HYDROGEN FLUORIDE; AND RETURNING THE RESULTING HYDROGEN FLUORIDE TO AN UPPER PORTION OF SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE. 